Vote yes on Question 1 to support marriage equality

This year, Hawaiʻi voters have an opportunity to strengthen our state’s long legacy of protecting equal rights. Question #1 on the November general election ballot asks the public to repeal discriminatory sections of our state constitution, which currently allows the Legislature to restrict marriage to opposite-sex couples.

Lawmakers were granted this authority in 1998 when voters approved constitutional language allowing the Legislature to outlaw same-sex marriage. Since that time, however, Hawaiʻi has enacted policies that strongly support LGBTQ+ rights, including by passing the Hawaiʻi Marriage Equality Act in 2013, which recognized marriages between people of the same sex and extends to them the same marital rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities that opposite-sex couples receive.​ 

As members of the LGBTQ+ community face increasing threats to their civil liberties, local political leaders have been emphatic in declaring that now is the time to ensure our state Constitution defends the freedom to marry for future generations.

“I’ve always stood on the side of advancing equality and civil rights in our state, from my time in the House, Senate, and now as governor,” said Gov. Josh Green in his endorsement of the “Vote Yes for Marriage Equality” campaign. 

“Since the first constitutional convention, our state has uniquely and rightly sought to affirm protections and civil rights for all citizens of the state of Hawaiʻi. Voting yes on this constitutional amendment furthers the goal of protecting the rights of our LGBTQ+ ʻohana,” Green added.

The Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association proudly endorsed the marriage equality amendment during this year’s legislative session. Throughout history, public school teachers have devoted themselves to fighting for civil rights, celebrating diversity, and embracing the value of inclusivity, both in their classrooms and in their communities.

HSTA President Osa Tui, Jr., said, “Across the country, we’re sadly seeing the erosion of a multitude of rights that we may have once taken for granted. Now is the time to affirmatively respond to those threats.”

“Furthermore, we know as educators that diversity serves to enrich and enhance our schools and our communities, especially in the Aloha State. Attacks on vulnerable populations are certainly not in line with our shared values of graciousness and acceptance as was witnessed when a Hawaiʻi legislator criticized rainbow flags being displayed in schools,” he continued.

“While we know the great majority of people in the islands support marriage equality, we need every voter to vote yes on this proposal because blank votes are counted the same as ‘no’ votes in the constitutional amendment proposals,” Tui added.

Maui High School math teacher Jodi Kunimitsu, who chairs HSTA’s Human and Civil Rights Committee, said, “Love is not limited to or defined by gender or sexual orientation and marriage should not be limited to a certain group of people either.”

“All humans should have the right to marry the person they love and no government regulation should interfere with that right. Please vote Yes on Question 1, to ensure protections for all people in Hawaiʻi to have the right to marry who they love,” said Kunimitsu, who also chairs the National Education Association’s ​​Asian & Pacific Islander Caucus.

General election ballots should arrive in the mail at households across the state around Oct. 18. Completed ballots must be received by your county Elections Division by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Voting can also be done in-person at voter service centers starting Oct. 22.  See HSTA’s list of recommended candidates for the general election.

Approval of ballot question #1 is also seen by some elected officials as a reflection of our state’s long-held values of compassion and aloha for all.

“Hawai’i’s constitution should be a reflection of our state’s diversity and our values,” said U.S.Senator Brian Schatz. “That’s why I’m voting yes on ConAm Question #1. It will remove a relic of the past and affirm our commitment to treating LGBTQ+ people with the dignity they deserve.”

Safeguarding the freedom to marry has become more urgent following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of landmark civil rights cases in recent years. After the high court overturned Roe vs. Wade in 2022, some conservative justices claimed that other privacy protections should be revisited, including the 2015 Obergefell vs. Hodges decision that effectively made marriage equality the law of the land.

“With the fall of Roe, we know this conservative Supreme Court has its eyes set on revisiting Obergefell, seeking to restrict same-sex marriage nationwide,” said Congresswoman Jill Tokuda. 

“This is unacceptable. My husband and I have always told our sons, ‘Love is love,’ and we will fight for all children to ensure that no future legislature has the ability to erode or limit marriage equality in Hawaiʻi,” Tokuda added.

At its core, ballot question #1 is about respecting human dignity and uplifting the fundamental right to love whom you choose, regardless of your gender or sexual orientation. Voting in support of this amendment will reaffirm our state’s dedication to ending discrimination in our island home.

“LGBTQ+ rights are human rights,” said state Rep. Jeanné Kapela (D, South Kona, Na’alehu, Ka’u, Pahala). 

“Hawaiʻi has a long legacy of championing equality. At a time when civil rights are under assault on both the local and national stage, we must repeal discriminatory language from our State Constitution and uphold the freedom to marry for future generations,” Kapela added. 

Watch this interview on KITV’s Island Life Live program for more information about the marriage equality measure on the November ballot.